


Fancy Seeing You

by JustGettingBy



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Jail, Sibilings, Support, au elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 09:59:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17937662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustGettingBy/pseuds/JustGettingBy
Summary: Even though they're not together anymore, Diego and Eudora still play a game of catch and release. It's all in good fun until Diego runs into someone unexpected in a holding cell.





	Fancy Seeing You

**Author's Note:**

> They're about 25 in this Fic.

Diego knows the game. Eudora does too, he thinks, but neither will admit it.

It goes like this: he turns up at a crime scene. Eudora arrests him for tampering with evidence, or trespassing, or crossing the police line - even though Diego knows that last one is made up. She’ll lecture him about how she’s pressing charges this time, for real. Diego will nod along because he knows better than to call her bluff. He’ll sit in the holding cell for anywhere from thirty minutes to three hours, depending on how kind Eudora feels that day, and then she’ll release him, take away his scanner, and warn him off the vigilante life. She’ll tell him that he won’t get off so easily next time.

Diego will smile, nod, and swear he’ll stay away from crime scenes, cross-his-heart-and-hope-to-die.

They’ll play the game again in a few weeks.

This time, though, their game is different.

“I’m serious, Diego. You could do time for this,” Eudora says. She tightens her grip around Diego’s bicep and walks him through the precinct.

“Come on,” he says, “you never would’ve found the murder weapon without me.”

“That’s only because no officer was reckless enough to climb onto the roof.”

“I call it dedication.”

“I call it a safety risk. That old shed was half collapsing.” She brings Diego into the holding cell and closes the door. “You could do a lot of good things working with the department, instead of against it.”

“Ah, but where’s the fun it that?”

Eudora shakes her head and walks off without looking back. He can tell she’s stressed tonight by the way her always-present ponytail has slipped low and she hasn’t even tried to fix it.

He doesn’t blame her though. Saturday nights are always the busiest and tonight the holding cell is even more packed than usual. Diego finds a free space at the end of a long white bench. He sits, leans back against the cinderblock wall, and closes his eyes. Between his whole vigilante thing and cleaning at the gym, it’s been close to three weeks since he caught a full night’s sleep. He’s picked up more hours lately - he had no choice after his car broke down - and crime’s been surging too.

He hears the creak of the holding cell door opening. “Well not that this isn’t beautiful,” a familiar voice says. “But I definitely remember requesting the honeymoon suite when I booked.”

Diego opens his eyes. He stares at the back of a familiar mop of dark curly hair.

The door slams shut again. “I’ll take an omelet and Mimosa tomorrow morning. 8 a.m., sharp, or you’ll lose your tip,” the man calls to the officer walking away.

The man turns and any doubt left in Diego’s mind is gone.

 

Klaus looks rough. 

 

Diego feels a twinge of guilt for that. He hadn’t talked to his brother in over a year. He knew Klaus had been having a tough go, but last time they spoke, Klaus promised Diego he was sorting things out. Diego believed him.

Klaus shakes in his long black coat. He slumps down on a bench and mutters something. It’s not to himself - he’s speaking to the empty corner of the cell.

His dark paisley shirt is buttoned low, and his eyes sink into dark rings. Diego isn’t sure if it’s from old, smudged makeup or exhaustion. If he had to guess, he’d say it was a mix of the two. Klaus rolls his eyes and sighs in the same exaggerated way he seemed to do everything.

He tenses. His head jerks to the empty corner again. “Shut it.”

There’s no one there. No one is speaking.

Diego stands and moves through the various drunks, thieves, and vandals. “Klaus?”

Klaus turns. His downturn face cracks into a smile. “Diego!” He jumps to his feet, wraps his arms around Diego and presses his forehead into his chest. “You’re real.”

“Hey, hey. I’m here.” Diego is acutely aware of the eyes on his back. This isn’t the place to stick out. He sits down on the hard edge of the bench and pulls Klaus down next to him.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Klaus says with a laugh. “D’you think we could get Luther to come down?” His words slur together, ever so slightly. “Make this a veritable family reunion.”

_Except for Five and Ben._

“Except Five of course,” Klaus continues without even looking over, “that little bastard had the right idea, didn’t he? Get out early before things get even more twisted.”

Diego doesn’t know what to say.

“You got out early, too. Sneaking off at 17 to join the police academy - that was a smart move I’ll give you that.” Klaus laughs. “I should’ve joined you. D’you think I’d be a convincing bad cop?” Klaus twists his face into a deep frown and crosses his arms. His ‘serious’ demeanor last for about two seconds before he cracks into a peel of laughter.  “Of course, you’d have to be the good cop then. Might be a bit hard, since you haven’t smiled since 2004.”

“Hey,” Diego says, shaking his head. He’s not mad, not really. He knows he’s been sulking a lot lately.

“Course, police don’t usually get arrested.”

Diego shrugs. “Turns out I don’t do well with any academy.”

“What a perfectly political answer. What sort of shit got you here tonight? Did that sex club finally figure out it was you who raided their closets?”

“I helped catch a murderer, actually.”

“Mhmm. I hear they lock people up all the time for that. D’you hear the one about the priest who tipped off the police when a guy confessed to him he’d stolen a loaf of bread?” Klaus shakes his head in mock sadness. “Gave him fifty years. The priest, of course, not the thief.”

“And why are you here?” Diego raises his eyebrow. His gut twinges; his words came out harsher than he wanted.

“Well, it turns out cocaine is illegal - who knew?” He smiles sadly. “Course it wasn’t mine. I was just holding it for a friend.” The joke falls flat.

Diego wishes he hadn’t asked. “Klaus...”

The cell door creaks open again. Eudora stands in the frame, even though it’s only been half an hour. She’s either feeling especially nice or they need the space tonight. She beckons for Diego to come.

Digeo hesitates for a moment. He looks at Klaus and back to Eudora. “Come on,” he whispers to Klaus, hauls him to his feet, and walks toward the door.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She crosses her arms.

“Eudora, meet my brother. Klaus." 

“Pleasure,” he says, sticking out a hand. He winks at Diego - last time he'd seen Klaus was before Eudora dumped him.

Eudora eyes the ‘hello’ tattooed on Klaus’ palm. Her face softens as she shakes his hand. “Come with me,” she says with a sigh.

They play the game again, with a third person this time. Diego won’t go poking around crime scenes, and Klaus definitely won’t be found with any more drugs - not even if he’s just holding it for a friend.

Diego walks out onto the darkened street in front of the police station. The night’s not too cold, but there’s a soft rain starting and a mist that clings to windows and rises from the pavement.  “It was nice to see you.”

“You too.” Klaus smiles. “Let’s meet in a hospital next time.”

“I was thinking we could hang out in a junkyard.”

Diego starts down the steps, toward the string of cabs waiting along the curbside. He gives the gym’s address to the cabbie and they begin to pull away.

Two palms slam against the side window. “Jesus,” Diego says to himself. Through the foggy window, he can see the two familiar words: ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’. Diego yanks the door back open.

“Hey, Diego,” Klaus says and bats his eyelashes. “Mind if I catch a ride?”


End file.
